[Video] Monday, Week 45.

[ourlastbesthope]

[Capa's made it through a quick tour and has got himself a place (and a jacket) at the Flop. But he's been restless, so he's been wandering about, trying to get his bearings. Might as well figure out what this whole communicator thing is about.]

After staring at the same seven people for fourteen months, I was beginning to forget what other people looked like. And after spending my life with a dying star, I was beginning to forget what a real sun was like.

I'm still not sure if I'm dead or alive, but either way, I'm starting to think that this might be a good thing.

It didn't really take long to figure that out, either.

[Capa takes a moment to tilt his head up, towards the sun, before he's back on to his communicator. And he's straight to the point.]

I got the tour and I know there are others out there. I'm just hoping I'm not talking to myself here.

Comments

[heartofasun]

That sounds like an interesting and noble story. What star were you trying to save?

[Trance appeared on the screen, outdoors, surrounded by plants. Her hands were covered in dirt, and when Capa took a detour to look up a the sun, her own gaze followed. That star. Was it a bit rude that she was here? She didn't want to invade anyone's space or anything but...it certainly looked like if Verdana's sun had an avatar, they weren't doing a very good job.]

Oh, and you're not talking to yourself.

[ourlastbesthope]

[It takes him a moment to process everything, but he takes it in and then was able to speak with her again.]

That's reassuring.

And the story sounds more exciting than it really is. But we were trying to save our star. The one around Earth. [Right. He should probably specify that.]

[heartofasun]

Oh! Oh...

[Trance gets a little happy that she recognized the planet where he was from, and then remembered that earth was rather popular here. And just how Earth fared in her side of the universe.]

What was wrong with it? I don't know anything about where you're from, but, I presume that trying to change an outcome with such odds stacked against you was not easy. Every life has to end. Even stars. Stars shine brightly, some burn out quick, some linger, some fade. Others go out with a bang. But you can't fight it. Something else will come from the ashes.

[ourlastbesthope]

It's dying. Burning out.

And we wouldn't be humans if we didn't fight the inevitable. So we developed a way to create another star.

[heartofasun]

Yes, the human spirit is bright. What do you mean you created another star?

[ourlastbesthope]

[There's a bit of a pause.] Sorry. I'm not used to people not knowing this story.

The details might be a little boring. [People have told him that. He thinks it's overly fascinating.]

[heartofasun]

Please. I'd like to know. If you can?

[Trance looks...rather concerned.]

Video

[infourbooks]

Usually someone hears on these.

I'm pretty sure you're alive. The rest of us are.

Re: Video

[ourlastbesthope]

That's what I'm starting to learn. And hope for, really.

Re: Video

[infourbooks]

[What do you even say to that?]

Yeah... none of us want to actually be dead.

Video

[ourlastbesthope]

[Wait a second. Capa takes a moment to backtrack.]

No, I didn't mean that I wanted to be dead. I meant that, if this was some sort of strange afterlife, I don't think this is the one I'd want.

Re: Video

[infourbooks]

Oh... it's not like anything people talk about an afterlife being, really.

Re: Video

[ourlastbesthope]

Well, thanks for the reassurance anyway. How long have you been...[A pause as he struggles for the word] awake?

[unofficial_ambassador]

You're not dead. You simply . . . fell through reality, but to be honest I'm not certain that's better.

[ourlastbesthope]

That makes more sense to me than any other theory I can think of. It's a sound thought. Theoretically.

[unofficial_ambassador]

They say that our home realities were falling apart and the ship rescued us somehow. Obviously crashing wasn't part of the plan.

[ourlastbesthope]

Obviously not. But this place is starting to make more sense. With that theory in mind, I mean.

I fell through a star. I can believe that reality fell apart.

[unofficial_ambassador]

['Fell through a star' probably would have merited a reaction at one point]

I see. In that case, getting used to this place might be easier for you than most.

[ourlastbesthope]

I hope so. It's been surprisingly simple so far.

[Oh wait. Manners.]

My name's Capa. Well, Robert, but I haven't heard anyone call me that in a long time.

[Encrypted Video]

[standsentinel]

[By the backdrop, Kaidan's called it a day out at the Ship and is back in his Poseidon flat, or on the deck thereof, looking out over the town's fishing fleet and taking full advantage of said sun.]

My first time making it back to Earth after a long stay out in space, I remember feeling pretty much the same way.

Verdana complicates thing a bit, as does Salvation. I can explain what I know of how we ended up here, since I was able to actually interface with the ship's AI at one point, but I'm not entirely sure I want to do it over the open network.

[Encrypted Video]

[ourlastbesthope]

I would ask why not, but I don't know if I actually want the answer. So I'll just say I'd really like to know what you found out.

[Encrypted Video]

[standsentinel]

I put an encrypted filter on this, so we're all right now.

The answer's probably just mild paranoia, but the ship's network is completely open, the ship's technology level outstrips anything local by orders of magnitude, and I know for a fact you can buy communicators that tap into it off one of the local merchants, so we have no idea who else might have one aside from the people needing to get home.

But, ah, with that not really short at all summary behind us, the basic explanation is that Salvation was built to address something that's been disrupting the stability of the multiverse. The primary mission was to find out what and fix that, but a secondary one became to rescue and store in stasis anyone who it found who'd basically fallen through a tear in their reality into the interstitial space. This is all simplified to hell and gone -- the AI gave me a copy of the equation it used to calculate jumps in time and that alone had to have notation to 97 significant figures, accuracy-wise.

[Encrypted Video]

[ourlastbesthope]

[He takes a moment to process all of that before there's a quick nod. It all makes some kind of sense to him.]

That's quite a story. I don't suppose that it said what that "something" is?

[Encrypted Video]

[standsentinel]

Nope. Which would be one reason of many that I'm trying to get the AI back online again.

[Kaidan's smile shifts crookedly appraising]

Given that response, you either followed what I'm saying, or you're just humouring me. What's your background?

Re: [Encrypted Video]

[ourlastbesthope]

Oh, I was following. I'm an astrophysicist. I work primarily with dark matter. So a lot of my work is...theoretical.